Improvement in sink and sewer traps



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. MACKIE.

SINK AND SEWER TRAP.

N.'188,65Z. Patented March 20,1877.

"`k1"""lo lili 1 IIIIII. x ialllllll A MPETERS. FHOTO-LJTHOGRAPHER,WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE JOHN H-.AMACKIIL OlF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

v IMPROVEMENT IVN SINiK AND SEWER TRAPS.

Specification forming part of Letters'Patent No. 188,652, dated March20, 1877 application filed Ma'rch 16, 1877.

To all whom' it may concern:

. Be it known that I, JOHN H. MAGKTE, of (Dakland, in the county ofAlameda and` State of California, have invented certain,x new and usefulImprovements in=Sinkf and Sewer'lrap's; and I do hereby declare thatthe-following'. is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, whichwill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawin gs, andtothe letters ofreferencemarked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

It is well known that the ordinary siphon-t-raps for sinks, sewers,washbasins, baths of houses, and other purposesarelliable frequently tosiphon out, and thus allow offensive gases to rise through the trap; andthe S or hand traps, which are placed lower down, and sometimesimmediately under the basement of houses, are likely to a'ct as barriersto the outllow of gases into the sewer, and, what is worse, soon becomepartly filled with putrefying matter, and thus form small cess-pools,which generate offensive gases to rise through the upper siphon into thehouse.

The dangerous practice of ventilating sewers has been sometimesrecommended; but, after many experiments, I have completed the followinginvention, the object of which is to remedy all of the difficultiesmentioned by driving the gases down into the sewer to escape at themouth thereof. My improvements have been practically and successfullytested in California.

My invention .relates to sink-traps or sewertraps; and consists,chiefly, in placing an airchamber above the arch of a siphontrap, andconnecting the air-chamber and arch by means of a tube, and also inplacing another airchamber below the arch or crown of the siphon, andconnecting the same with the discharge-leg or sewer-leg of the siphon,and also with the upper air-chamber; and, further, in the combination ofa cylinder or chamber, and a disinfecting-chamber, buoy, and cork, withthe induction-pipe of the trap, all of which will be fully understood bythe accompanying description.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a front view of my sink andsewer trap. Fig.

2 is a top view of the same. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are partial or detachedviews.

In Fig. l, A represents the inductionpipe, which may be connected withthe sink in the usual manner, and B represents the dischargepipe passingto thelsewer, which, in my plan, is not provided with the usual lowertrap, but has a free circulation of air from the trap to the mouththereof. The pipe G, Fig. 1, represents the common Siphon-pipe providedwith a screw-tap for the purpose of cleaning, if necessary.

Above the crown of the siphon C is an airchamber, F, connected with thesiphon by air-tube G; and below said crown is another air-chamber, D,connected with the airchamber F by means of the air-pipe E, and alsoconnected with the discharge-pipe B. By means of this arrangement thereis a free circulation of air between the two air-chambers, and alsothrough the crown of the siphon C; and it is therefore impossible todrive all ot' the air or gas from my trap, or to so fill the tube B withwater as to get siphon action, and thus empty the pipe U at its lowercurve, in connection with atmospheric pressure just below the sink, asis often the case with some other traps. If air or gas rises from thesewer in pipe B, the air-chamber D gives room for the bubbles to burstor escape from the wat-er, which passes on toward the sewer, while theair rises into chamber F; and as soon as water flows over the arch ofsiphon G, bubbles of air or gas will be caught and carried down intochamber D, from which they may rise again through pipe E, or be carriedoft' through pipe B, and so pass into the sewer, which has noobstruction, as already mentioned.

In connection with these air-chambers F and D, I employ a centralcylindrical water-chamber,V, having a central tube, A, and containing abuoy, K, which is rigidly connected to a cork, Il. When water ows intothe central chamber V the buoy lifts the cork, and when the Water ceasesto flow the cork closes the tube G,\vhile some water yet remains inchamber V to prevent the buoy from sinking too low, and thus also toprevent the cork from being forced too tightly home by atmosphericpressure. The water from the sink passes down the tube A,

through the center of the buoy K, thus lifting the cork L as long as theWater ows, but closing the same when the flow of water ceases or isturneoi. When the cork L closes about two inches of water covers thesame, and I employ about sixteen inches of water below this cork, thusgiving a column of eighteen inches of water to prevent the upilow ofgases or air.

The wire O is intended to lift the buoy and cork in case they get fouland require cleaning, and the button P at the top of this wire is fittedto the strainer in the sink W, Fig. 3.

On one side of the cylindrical chamber V is a semicircular chamber, F,already described, and on the other side is another semicircularchamber, It, communicating with the chamber V by means of perforationsU, Fig. 3. This chamber R is to be filled through tube S (dotted lines)with some suitable disinfectant, as copperas. carbolic crystals, in timeof epidemic, or with common salt in winter, to prevent freezing. Whenthe buoy floats the water rises and passes through perforations U, andthus dissolves a supply of disinfectant or salt, one tilling of whichwill last two or three weeks.

My improvements are applicable to sinks, wash-basins, bath-tubs, sewercatch-basins at street corners, and other similar purposes. My trapcompletely breaks siphonage, thus making it impossible for the trap tosiphon out, and also preventing the necessity of ventilating sewers.Without the air-chambers the cork L would be drawn in so tight that thebuoy would not oat again, and without the buoy and cork or stopper thetrap would siphon out.

I do not limit myself to the above-described form and arrangement ofparts, but may vary these to adapt my trap to different places andpurposes, so long as the same objects are accomplished; and in thisapplication I do not, broadly, claim the receptacle or cylinder V forthe wastewater, in combination with the float and cork or plug suspendedtherefrom and acting automatically therewith, as I have made a separateapplication for a patent for these devices, dated February 24, 1877.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. A Siphon-trap having auair-chamber above or communicating with the arch of the Siphon, for thepurpose of preventing the discharge brauch of the siphon from completelylling with water, substantially as set forth.

2. In a siphon-trap,au air-chamber connected with the discharge branchof the trap, to allow the 'bubbles of air or gas to burst, and thusescape from the outilowing water, substantially in the manner and forthe purposes set forth.

3. The central cylinder, provided with the disinfecting-chamber R, incombination with the buoy K, having the cork L rigidly attached thereto,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aiix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. MACKIE.

Witnesses THOMAS C. GoNNoLLY, DANIEL BREED.

